Creating Meaning At Work

For the Love of Work

How do you find meaning at work? Is it about loving the tasks you have to do each day, or is it more about your outlook? Is it about following your dreams and making your work your life...or following the dollar signs and living for the weekend?

This was the decision facing freelance writer Allison Hope who was working at a non-profit when she received an offer to work on Wall Street.

Jacob Hirsh, a personality psychologist, says meaning and purpose are directly tied to one’s personal values. He explains why millennials are more likely to take a pay cut in order to work for a company that aligns with those values.

Julie Lee, co-creator of The Values Project, says you first must know what your values are, and offers a way to find out. Sharon Arieli, a professor who studies values, explains how and where to enact those values. Dave Mayer, at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, describes how to compare our personal values with our company’s stated values. Emily Esfanahani Smith, author of The Power of Meaning, tells us practical ways we can rethink our relationship to finding meaning and happiness at work.

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